By Eryk Michael Smith / Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Environmental groups are calling on Kaohsiung leaders to protect a large forested area surrounding Ciaotou Sugar Factory (橋頭糖廠), warning that planned development in the nearby Ciaotou New Town (橋頭新市鎮) could significantly damage one of northern Kaohsiung’s largest urban green spaces.
The China Times reports that at a press event Wednesday outside Kaohsiung City Hall, the Forest City Association and several civic organizations invited Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and potential future mayoral candidates Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) and Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) to visit the forest area on March 21, World Forest Day, so that they could better understand the area’s ecological and cultural value.
Activists say roughly 100 hectares of forest surrounding the historic sugar factory are an important “urban lung” for Kaohsiung while also providing flood-retention capacity connected to the nearby Dianbao River (典寶溪) watershed. However, parts of the woodland could be rezoned for development under the third phase of the Ciaotou New Town project. Plans also include a proposed 60-meter-wide roadway that critics say would cut directly through the sugar factory landscape and divide the historic site.
Preservation advocates also warn the project could damage cultural assets tied to the sugar factory complex, including old dormitory areas, mature tree clusters, and sections of the historic narrow-gauge sugar railway, which is also a tourist attraction.
The National Land Management Agency (國土管理署) said the project remains under deliberation by an urban planning committee. The three politicians have also responded, with Mayor Chen saying that civic concerns would be forwarded to the reviewing agency. DPP candidate Lai said industrial expansion and new town development should be balanced with environmental sustainability, while the KMT’s nominee Ko said the forest should not become a casualty of Kaohsiung’s transition from an industrial city to a hoped-for net-zero future.
